Cadillac’s 2026 F1 entry approved

F1 and the FIA have confirmed that Cadillac’s entry in the 2026 world championship has been officially approved.

A brief statement issued today, one week before the 2025 season gets underway, read: “The FIA and Formula 1 can confirm that, following the completion of their respective sporting, technical and commercial assessments, the application by General Motors and TWG Motorsports to bring a Cadillac team to the FIA Formula One World Championship from 2026 has been approved.”

In a subsequent social media post the sport’s governing body was keen to point out that the 3D render of the American team’s car was “unofficial and not affiliated with Cadillac or General Motors”

Today marks a transformative moment, and I am proud to lead the Federation in this progressive step for the championship,” said Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

“The FIA Formula One Championship’s expansion to an 11th team in 2026 is a milestone. GM/Cadillac brings fresh energy, aligning with the new FIA 2026 regulations and ushering in an exciting era for the sport.

“The Cadillac Formula 1 Team’s presence in the paddock will inspire future competitors and fans. Their entry strengthens our mission to push motorsport’s boundaries at the highest level.”

The integration between TWG Motorsports and GM creates a distinctly American team with unique attributes. TWG Group’s resources and commitment to excellence, cutting edge technology and deep collaboration across motorsport disciplines combined with GM’s performance DNA, engineering excellence and proven success in motorsports provides a strong foundation for the team.

“For the past year, we have worked hand in hand with GM to lay a robust foundation for an extraordinary Formula 1 entry,” said Dan Towriss, CEO of TWG Motorsports. “Now, with 2026 in our sights after today’s final approval from the FIA and Formula One Management, we’re accelerating our efforts – expanding our facilities, refining cutting-edge technologies, and continuing to assemble top-tier talent.”

“We’re thrilled the Cadillac Formula 1 Team is official, as the team has been accelerating its work,” added GM President Mark Reuss. “We’re incredibly grateful for the support from the FIA and Formula One Management leadership for us and for our collaboration with TWG. The excitement only grows as we get closer to showcasing GM’s engineering expertise on the prestigious global stage of F1.”

This announcement follows confirmation that long-time motorsports and Formula 1 team executive Graeme Lowdon will serve as team principal. Industry veteran Russ O’Blenes has been named CEO of TWG GM Performance Power Units LLC, a new company that will, according to GM, “put Cadillac on the future path to being a ‘full works’ team, building Formula 1 chassis and power units.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the effort put in by the entire team,” said Lowdon. “This announcement is the next step in getting on the grid and continues our efforts towards building a full-works team. Through the long and thorough application process, we have never lost pace in our planning or our belief in the mission. We can’t wait to go racing and give fans a new team to cheer for.

“Ongoing preparation and development of our power unit continues, and we’ve been working hard to hire some top tier talent,” said O’Blenes. “As we continue to add more experienced engineering personnel, we look forward to running our first V6 in the near future.”

Since the bid to join Formula 1 was announced in January 2023, TWG Motorsports has assembled a team of over 300 people working on aerodynamics, chassis and component development, software and vehicle dynamics simulation.

Development work to join the grid in 2026 has continued at pace with operational wind-tunnel models, parts production and performance testing strongly underway. The team has operations in Indianapolis, Indiana; Charlotte, North Carolina; Warren, Michigan; and Silverstone.